


to make it right

by intearsaboutrobots



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, creative liberties are taken with how pathfinder magic works, descriptions of canon injury, it is not core to the plot but sasha is transfeminine and nd, set during ep 62 but like implied spoilers thru ep 64?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23851471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intearsaboutrobots/pseuds/intearsaboutrobots
Summary: Sasha herself was standing, doing up her shirt - no apparent broken bones, all limbs functional. She didn't even look upset, Hamid was closer to tears than she was. Zolf shot Hamid a questioning look and he puffed up in indignation."Sasha, it's true, I saw you! I was just coming to get you for breakfast and - and there was blood everywhere!"Sasha glared."Noteverywhere. It's nothing."
Relationships: Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan & Sasha Racket & Zolf Smith
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42
Collections: Rusty Quill Gaming Exchange 2020





	to make it right

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WatchTheAntagonist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WatchTheAntagonist/gifts).



Zolf rolled over in his hammock, groaning, as the airship dipped. Couldn't it stay at one altitude for a few damn hours? He'd thought it wouldn't be as bad in his cabin, where he could pretend they weren't miles above the ground, but every dip and roll still sent his stomach lurching. Taking a deep breath, he forced his eyes shut again. All he wanted was to grab a few minutes of sleep before he had to get up...

His hammock dipped sharply, threatening to dump him out.

"Zolf! Zolf, S-sasha's hurt!"

The voice was high-pitched and scared, but that was a distant second concern to Zolf keeping his dinner down. He settled himself after a few moments and cautiously opened his eyes. Hamid was looking over the edge of his hammock, a little guilty.

"Sorry... I d-didn't know what else to do. I don't really know what happened, there's just - she was bleeding, something was really wrong."

Hamid's voice shrunk as he continued. Zolf sat up, resigning himself to being upright, and scrubbed a hand over his face.

"S'alright. What happened?"

"I don't really know..." Hamid coloured a little, embarrassed. "When I saw the blood I came to get you right away."

Zolf fought down the urge to snap at Hamid for not having even tried to figure out the problem before deciding he had to wake Zolf up. He restrained himself to a sharp nod and swung himself to the ground.

"Lead the way."

Hamid bit his lip and turned, hurrying down the hall. He shot frequent glances backwards to make sure Zolf was keeping up. Zolf stretched his arms out, rolling his neck and feeling the joints pop. Hamid hadn't said anything about an attacker or a fight, so hopefully he could eliminate that. What else could have happened? An accident? He thought back to the shipboard injuries he'd seen at sea and winced. Even a rope could do a lot of damage if it was under enough tension, and there were other, more dangerous options. He braced himself for the worst as he followed Hamid into Sasha's room.

"Zolf's here now! A-and he'll heal you, and - and - you're going to be fine, Sasha, you'll be fine!"

Zolf took in the room as Hamid attempted to reassure Sasha. Everything seemed... undisturbed. There were no signs of struggle, no gore. Sasha herself was standing, doing up her shirt - no apparent broken bones, all limbs functional. She didn't even look upset, Hamid was closer to tears than she was. Zolf shot Hamid a questioning look and he puffed up in indignation.

"Sasha, it's true, I saw you! I was just coming to get you for breakfast and - and there was blood everywhere!"

Sasha glared.

"Not _everywhere_. It's nothing."

Her voice was steady, but she fumbled doing up her top button. On anyone else, Zolf might have dismissed it, but from Sasha the clumsiness was a glaring red flag. Next to him, Hamid's brows furrowed as he opened his mouth to argue. Zolf cut him off.

"Hamid, I need you to help me. Go to the kitchen, dig up some food, doesn't need to be anything fancy. Some coffee too, if they've got it."

Hamid wilted, but Zolf went on.

"Look, healing takes energy. That goes for the person doing the healing as well as the person whos hurt. This is the best way you can help right now."

"I -" Hamid glanced over at Sasha and snapped his mouth shut, evidently deciding it wasn't worth arguing over. "I'll be back soon."

He gave Zolf a narrow look and left, heading for the galley. Zolf pushed the door shut behind him and turned back to Sasha. She was unnaturally still, tension in every line of her posture. Zolf consciously relaxed his own, lowering himself heavily onto a small stool.

"That ought to buy us some time," he said, leaning back against the wall.

Sasha's shoulders lowered a little - still wary, but not about to snap. Her eyes flicked to the side and Zolf followed her gaze. The door.

"It's too early for me to be fighting anyone into taking help. If you want to leave, you can leave, and I'll keep Hamid off your back as well. Well, as much as anyone can restrain a worried Hamid. But," he lifted a hand, wiggling his fingers, "the divine powers aren't just for show. I deal with Poseidon so I can help people, and especially so I can help my friends."

Sasha looked at him hard, expression guarded. Then she exhaled, deflating.

"I've got scurvy or something. Don't even know if that's the kind of thing you do."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that? For Hamid's peace of mind, if nothing else."

With a sigh, Sasha shrugged her jacket off and began to unbutton her shirt. It stuck to her skin in place and she winced as she tugged it free, revealing tacky smears of blood. A damp chill Zolf thought he'd left behind in the catacombs crawled up his spine as the wounds were revealed. The cuts were as neat and precise as he remembered, and although they were shallow enough the blood was already drying Zolf had the irrational certainty that at his touch Sasha would fall apart, divided into tidy, bloodless pieces.

The deck swayed under him and Zolf realised he'd stopped breathing. He forced himself to inhale. _Sasha is here, she's alive, she's breathing_ , he told himself sternly, _and she certainly doesn't need you to panic right now._

"It'll be easier if I can touch you."

Zolf hoped his voice passed for confident and steady. Sasha's face wrinkled but she nodded, kneeling down in front of him.

"Just get on with it, would you? It's bloody cold in here."

Zolf set his hand on Sasha's shoulder, thumb resting at the base of her neck. She was bony under his hand, and Zolf reminded himself firmly that she was a scarily competent colleague, not some injured bird. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply and opened his divine senses. His stomach dropped. Sasha herself glowed softly under his hand, the positive energy given off by all living things. Where her scars had opened, though -

Darkness.

Pure, pitch darkness oozed from the wounds in sticky drips. It moved like a liquid, but held no highlights or shadows, giving it an unnatural depthlessness. Zolf brought a finger towards it cautiously, reaching for one of the smaller drops. Cold flowed off of it, becoming bone-aching when he got within an inch.

Well, if it wanted a fight... Zolf tapped into his store of healing energy, sending it flowing into Sasha. The darkness rippled, as though disturbed by a breeze. Zolf set his jaw and pushed. He could smell the clean salt of the sea now, bracing and familiar. The flow slowed... slowed..... Zolf pushed harder, refusing to give in. For a moment, the drops hung in place, trembling. Then, like a cord had been cut, the pressure gave. Dark liquid flowing up, drops joining like mercury, scars knitting together behind it.

Under his hand, Zolf felt Sasha shift, but he didn't let go just yet. That had been a concession, not a victory. He extended his senses, pressing his awareness deeper. It was all normal, until - there. The brush of unnatural cold. Zolf shifted his focus towards the chill, and his heart sunk. A twisted knot of the dark energy tied into Sasha's own essence, tendrils flowing past one another in a shifting, tangled rhythm. He opened his eyes, letting go.

"Right, you can get dressed."

Sasha exhaled in obvious relief and stood up, grabbing her shirt. Zolf sagged forward, face in his hands. How could something like that get into Sasha? Without him realising, without any of them realising? He rubbed his fingers over his eyes. It was far too early for this.

"So, what was it then?"

Zolf inhaled, sitting up. Sasha had pulled her jacket back on and was studiously arranging it to hang evenly.

"I can tell you now that it isn't scurvy." Zolf steeled himself and pushed on. "There's some kind of magical effect, I don't know what from, but it's what's causing this, and I don't have the first clue how to get it out without ripping a bit of you out, too."

"Oh."

Sasha's hands had stilled. She drew herself up, nodding.

"Well. Could be worse, I guess. Not like I've got enough stuff to bother with a will or any of that. Didn't expect it to end like this, but," she laughed humorlessly, "that's how it goes, isn't it. Never see the knife that kills you."

"Sasha." Zolf tried to catch her eye, but she was looking fixedly down at where she gripped her jacket. "Sasha, you're not going to die. Whatever this is, it hasn't done much damage yet, and we're going somewhere with a magic floating university. There will be people who can figure out what's wrong and fix it."

Sasha didn't acknowledge Zolf's words. He closed his mouth, then opened it again, struggling to think of the right words to comfort her. The door swung open, saving him.

Hamid backed in, struggling under a tray laden with a frankly impressive variety of breakfast foods. Seeing their serious expressions, his eyes widened.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

Zolf hesitated, looking to Sasha, and Hamid's expression grew more worried. After a few beats, Sasha looked up.

"It's nothing, mate. Zolf took care of it. Healed me right up. London Rangers and all that, we don't go down that easy."

Hamid inhaled softly, eyes shining.

"Oh, I - th- that's so good! I was so worried!"

"Yeah, I know." Sasha took in Hamid's expression and bent down, opening her arms. "Well, come on then. I know you want to, and I won't bleed on you now."

Hamid hurriedly set the tray on a table, upsetting a bowl of fruit, and ran forward to throw his arms around Sasha. Zolf caught a rogue orange before it hit the ground, placing it back on the tray. He kept his back turned, giving the others some privacy. Wrapping his hands around a mug of coffee, he stared down into the liquid, letting the heat seep into his fingers. It was comforting after what he'd felt in Sasha, the heat melting away the chill that he still felt. And it was still in her... Zolf's appetite disappeared, guilt gnawing him. Some cleric that couldn't heal his own party.

Zolf jolted, coffee sloshing over his fingers, as a small body pressed itself to his side. He hissed, trying to set the mug down with a halfling clinging to him. Hamid was unperturbed, squeezing him tighter.

"Thank you."

His words were muffled in Zolf's shirt. Zolf looked to Sasha in a silent plea for help, but all she offered was a one-shouldered shrug. Belatedly, Zolf lowered his arms around Hamid and patted his back, feeling clumsy. Something was caught in his throat, and he had to clear it before he could speak.

"I mean. You don't have to. This is pretty much my job, after all."

Hamid looked up at him, open honesty written all over his face, and Zolf's words ran dry.

"You brought us all together, and you keep us safe. Don't sell yourself short, Zolf, none of us would be here without you."

Guilt settled heavy in Zolf's stomach. Hamid was right, wasn't he. That was the thing. Zolf had been a mercenary before he'd ever met these two, but he'd never had the burden of this kind of faith put on him before. He saw himself reflected in Hamid's eyes. Shining, larger than life. A hero. Zolf didn't know who that person was. He realised Hamid was waiting for a response and forced a smile onto his face, although it felt flat and fake.

"Well, I brought Bertie here too so I don't think I'm blameless. Come on, eat up before he finds us and helps himself."

The change of topic worked, Hamid giving him a last squeeze before grabbing a plate. Zolf took the reprieve gratefully, rubbing his temples. Not long til they made port, he reminded himself. He'd get his feet on ground level and he'd pull himself back together. He just had to hold on a little longer.

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello and thank you!! that goes for the mods for putting on this event, WatchTheAntagonist for the prompt, kalgalen for betaing and keeping me from exploding, and all of you who read this lil niblet of feelings :3 
> 
> the title of this fic is from "buying time" by great big sea, great song if you wanna be sad abt immediately pre-prague zolf, and also check them out if you are a general shanty enthusiast. some Quality maritimes shanties!! (wave over wave is also very good)
> 
> do you also want this famly to hav a lot more comforting hugs and a lot less strife? do you like to needlessly complicate magic because you think it's a cool visual? do you just like sad dwarves? let me know in the comments!


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